A Thriving Ecosystem - Points of Light

A Thriving Ecosystem

Volunteering thrives when the systems around it are strong. With committed leadership, sustainable investment, modern infrastructure, and collaboration across sectors, organizations are better positioned to engage volunteers effectively and unlock their full potential. In this future, service is not treated as an “extra” or a nice-to-have. It is understood as a core indicator of strong communities and a healthy society.

Goals for a Thriving Ecosystem

Strengthen Organizations and Their People to Engage Volunteers Effectively

Mean Capacity for volunteer engagement means organizations are equipped, and their people are supported and recognized as credible professionals to engage volunteers as partners in meeting different needs, creating meaningful experiences, and sustaining participation over time.

Emerging Opportunities for the Field:
1. Broaden Access to Volunteer Engagement Training
2. Advance Career Development for Volunteer Engagement Professionals
3. Reinforce Volunteer Engagement as a Strategic Function
4. Curate a Shared Volunteer Engagement Resource Hub

Fund What It Takes for Volunteering to Succeed

Investment means fully funding and supporting what it takes for volunteering to succeed by understanding its true costs, directing resources where they have the greatest impact, and mobilizing public, private, and philanthropic partners to treat volunteering as essential infrastructure for communities.

Emerging Opportunities for the Field:
1. Create a Shared Case for Investing in Volunteer Infrastructure
2. Launch a Volunteer Infrastructure and Innovation Fund
3. Establish Volunteer Infrastructure as a Public Good
4. Recognize Volunteer Engagement in Funding Decisions

Advance Technology to Support Modern Volunteering

Technology is critical enabling infrastructure that supports how organizations manage volunteer engagement and how individuals discover and participate in service. To remain effective and relevant, systems must evolve from fragmented tools to integrated, accessible platforms that reduce friction, expand access, and support meaningful participation at scale.

Emerging Opportunities for the Field:
1. Convene a Working Group on Emerging Technology and AI
2. Guide Alignment Between Field Needs and Volunteer Technology Platforms
3. Improve Interoperability Across Volunteer Technology Platforms

Advocate for Policy that Amplifies Volunteering

Policy shapes the conditions under which participation is possible, scalable, and equitable. Modern policy must align rules, laws, and incentives to remove barriers, unlock investment, and enable volunteerism to grow, adapt, and thrive across communities.

Emerging Opportunities for the Field:
1. Collaborate on a Dynamic Policy Agenda for Volunteerism
2. Help Organizations Navigate Policy and Participation Barriers

Toward Purposeful Volunteerism: A Theory of Change

Purposeful volunteering requires intention. This theory of change shows how, when designed well, volunteering creates positive outcomes for volunteers, organizations, communities, and society.

The National Volunteer Strategy is the roadmap for making those conditions a reality. Its framework and goals outline how we can work together to strengthen volunteering and create more opportunities for people to engage in purposeful service.

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The right conditions are in place for volunteering to thrive.